Throwback Thursday: 35 Years Ago, Jimmie Bucci Became the Lowest-Earning Winner on Jeopardy! (1988)
Also: Ken Jennings wins his 10th game (2004), and season 36 ends early because of COVID-19 (2020).
A Unique Jeopardy! Record
Over the past several decades, especially as of recently, Jeopardy! has cultivated a very devoted fan following. As the game has evolved, so have discussions around wagering strategy, gameplay optimization, and perhaps the most prevalent of them all, people who hold all-time records.
We hear constantly about how Ken Jennings holds the longest streak and the highest-earning amount of cash in regular play, James Holzhauer having the 12 highest one-day totals in regular play, Brad Rutter holding the record for most money won on Jeopardy! overall, Amy Schneider for most games and money won by a woman, and several more along the way. But today’s article is discussing a record that isn’t talked about nearly as much: the lowest-earning winner in Jeopardy! history.
It’s not very common for a player to win less than $1,000 in a show, especially in the post-doubled era of Jeopardy! It’s even less common for a player to win with $1, an achievement only accomplished in regular play by the likes of Darryl Scott in 1993 and Manny Abell in 2017, both players of whom won more than one game. However, in a time with no consolation cash prizes, there are a select few players who finished with less than $1,000 overall, one of whom scored lower than the rest.
Who is Jimmie Bucci?
On June 15th, 1988, 35 years ago today, 3-time champion Stephen Lebowitz was going for his 4th win with $50,800 already in his bank, which translates to $101,600 today. This is a total that isn’t often replicated, for less than 20 players have surpassed $100k in three days in the post-doubled values era. In hopes of getting a better chance at a spot in the 1988 Tournament of Champions, Stephen had a lot riding on him for this game against opponents Jimmie Bucci of New York and Wayne Owens of Missouri. Despite his great record by that point, he started off in the red by the first commercial break with -$700, compared to $1,200 for Wayne and $800 for Jimmie.
Pressure was slightly alleviated from Stephen when Wayne missed the first Daily Double with $1,000 at risk, causing him to end the round with $600 behind Jimmie and Stephen’s totals of $800. The second round continued to be tightly contested between Stephen and Jimmie, with both players finding one of the Daily Doubles. Stephen capitalized on $1,500 after correctly guessing Queen Elizabeth II as the longest British monarchic reign of the 20th century, while Jimmie capitalized on $2,000 for knowing Foreigner’s 1977 hit “Cold as Ice.”
Wayne never really got going in this round, and so the scores before Final Jeopardy! were $1,200 for Wayne, $6,000 for Jimmie, and $6,100 for Stephen. The final category was about the bible, and the clue was: “In Chapter 1, Verse 1, authorship of the book of Proverbs is attributed to this man.” Wayne guessed Jesus Christ and was wrong, dropping $1,199 to finish with $1. Jimmie incorrectly guessed Matthew, dropping $5,900 to finish with $100. It all came down to Stephen, who incorrectly guessed David rather than Solomon. His wager was revealed as $6,000.
With $100 each, Stephen Lebowitz and Jimmie Bucci finished in a tie. In a regular show now, this would normally constitute a tiebreaker, for ties stopped being allowed back in 2015. However, there were no rules for this back in 1988, and so both players got to keep their winnings, making Stephen Lebowitz a 4-time champion with $50,900, and Jimmie Bucci a new co-champion with $100.
In the next game, both champions struggled to get a rhythm going against challenger Steve Herron, as Stephen had $1,000 before Final Jeopardy!, Jimmie with $1,900, and Steve with a crushing $9,000. Jimmie ended up being the only player to miss the final clue, thus resulting in Stephen finishing in second place with $1,898 compared to $1,700 for Jimmie.
Steve won the game with $10,000 and Stephen’s overall 4-day total was good enough to land him a spot in the 1988 Tournament of Champions. Jimmie went home with $100, still the lowest overall total recorded in Jeopardy! history, 1984-present.
16 Years Later On this Same Day…
In the 2004 season, there was no longer a 5-day limit on regular winning streaks, so a few players in season 20 were able to surpass five victories. The first one was Sean Ryan on October 15th, 2003, winning his 6th game for a total of $123,797 before losing the next game.
Tom Walsh was the next player to win his 6th game before becoming the first player to win his 7th game on January 13th, 2004 for a total of $184,900. Five months later, a new player stepped into the champion role. After surpassing Walsh’s 7-day total with $231,000, Ken Jennings continued to go on an absolute tear, winning two more games and accumulating $60,158 more before his 10th game, which took place 19 years ago today.
With 9 wins under his belt, Ken was looking pretty good to win his next game and it wound up being one of his most dominant games to date at the time. With 40 correct responses and an astonishing Coryat score of $32,600, Ken was far ahead of the curve, despite two conservative Daily Double wagers. He found the last Daily Double on the final clue of the round, picking up an extra $5,400 for a score of $35,000 before Final Jeopardy!, putting the game far out of reach.
With a correct response on the final clue, he added a whopping $15,000 to his already sterling score, winning the game with $50,000 and becoming the first ever player to win at least 10 games. It was clear that Ken, intentionally or not, was utilizing the lifting of the 5-day limit to the absolute best of his ability, as he now had $341,158 in his bank and wasn’t poised to stop any time soon.
16 More Years Later On this Same Day…
On June 12th, 2020, Zach Newkirk had just won his 4th game for a total of $85,669. This win elevated him into being eligible for the 2021 Tournament of Champions and he looked poised to win even more. What’s worth noting, though, is that this game was taped on March 11th, 2020, a few days before the COVID-19 pandemic officially hit the United States in a massive way. As a result of this, production for the rest of the season was cancelled and Zach’s run was delayed.
June 15th, 2020, 3 years ago today, the first reruns for Jeopardy! started airing across the country. A lot of people not in touch with social media were unaware that Zach wouldn’t be returning for the next game and that the season’s production had stopped here. For the next several months, traveling restrictions were also set into place and Zach’s run was delayed indefinitely until his return on January 28th, 2021, where he defeated 7-time champion Brian Chang to get the 5th win necessary for the 2022 Tournament of Champions.
Other Jeopardy! Events that Occurred Today
2022 - Megan Wachspress wins her second game in a lock, adding $11,600 for a 2-day total of $28,801.
2016 - Hunter Appler wins his sixth game for a total of $145,603.
2015 - Brennan Bushee wins his first game with $27,201.
2012 - David Menchaca wins his second game with $24,401, for a 2-day total of $40,301.
2007 - With $1 at stake, Jared Cohen guesses "Who is Kebert Xela?," a reference to a Family Guy joke spelling Alex Trebek’s name backwards in order to send him back to the 5th dimension where he belongs. (R.I.P. Adam West & Alex Trebek).
2006 - Craig Westphal wins his 5th game with $20,399 for a 5-day total of $114,601, guaranteeing him a spot in the 2007 Tournament of Champions.
1995 - Jim Vercolen wins his third game for a 3-day total of $33,500.
1993 - Al Lin wins his fourth game with $14,000 in a tie with challenger Deborah Yaffe, for a 4-day total of $48,502.
1990 - Eric Terzuolo wins his first game with $12,600.